Afghanistan star spinner Rashid Khan made history by becoming the first Afghan bowler to take 200 ODI wickets. He achieved the feat during the first ODI against Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi, finishing with figures of 3/38 in his full quota of 10 overs. Rashid dismissed Bangladesh skipper Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Jaker Ali, and Nurul Hassan, cementing his status as one of the world’s premier spinners.
In 115 ODIs, Rashid has now taken 202 wickets in 107 innings, with a bowling average of 20.28 and an economy rate of 4.23. His best ODI figures are 7/18, and his career also includes six four-wicket hauls and five five-wicket hauls. Following him on Afghanistan’s all-time ODI wickets list are veteran all-rounder Mohammed Nabi (176 wickets) and Dawlat Zadran (115 wickets).
Match Summary
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Bangladesh won the toss and chose to bat first. They struggled initially at 53/3, but a 101-run fourth-wicket partnership between Towhid Hridoy (56 off 85 balls, 1 four, 3 sixes) and Mehidy Hasan Miraz (60 off 61 balls) steadied the innings. However, Hridoy’s run out and Rashid’s three quick wickets derailed Bangladesh once more, restricting them to 221 all out with seven balls to spare. Other wicket-takers for Afghanistan included Azmatullah Omarzai (3/40), Allah Ghazanfar (2/55), and Nangeyalia Kharote (1/32).
In response, Afghanistan had a solid start with an opening stand of 52 runs between Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran (23 off 25 balls). Gurbaz scored 50 off 76 balls (1 four, 1 six) and combined with Rahmat Shah (50 off 70 balls, 2 fours) for a third-wicket partnership of 78 runs. After both were dismissed at 136, Omarzai’s brisk 40 off 44 balls (6 fours, 1 six), along with skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi’s 33 off 46 balls, propelled Afghanistan to the target. Mohammed Nabi (11)* remained unbeaten, helping Afghanistan chase down 222 with five wickets and 17 balls to spare.
Azmatullah Omarzai was named Player of the Match for his all-round performance. With this win, Afghanistan leads the three-match ODI series 1-0, while Bangladesh had earlier swept the T20I series 3-0.